Throughout the month of November, you may see facial hair sprouting up on guys in support of ‘Movember’ – the men’s health initiative bringing awareness to serious issues like prostate and testicular cancers and depression. Additional important medical conditions that men commonly face include heart disease, diabetes, COPD, and other cancers.
As sports injury doctors, we see men for a variety of serious orthopedic issues that often differ from those we see in women.
Women are more vulnerable to sprains, torn ligaments (such as ACL tears and meniscus tears), and osteoarthritis.
The orthopedic and sports injuries/conditions that we treat most routinely in men include:
- Fractures: most commonly to fingers and wrists
- Soft-tissue injuries: to biceps, quadriceps, pectoral tendons, and the Achilles tendon, usually from either heavy lifting or quick cutting and weaving movements while playing sports
- Chronic back pain
Men are also more prone to serious falls, such as from a ladder during home repairs or improvement projects. Men who experience fractures resulting from a fall, and who are over the age of 65 years, are more vulnerable to severe complications like infection, another fracture, or even death (most likely in the case of a hip fracture).
Our rheumatologists also treat osteoporosis in men, which is a weakening of bone density as you age.
To keep your muscles and bones in optimal shape, Texas Orthopedics recommends maintaining a healthy body weight through regular daily exercise and smart eating habits.
In the event of an injury, please call us at (512) 439-1000 for a same day or after hours appointment with one of our board-certified and fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeons who specialize in everything from the top of your spine to the tips of your toes, feet and ankles.
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(Adapted from U.S. News & World Report)
